Kolkata: Rain has opened up craters and potholes along Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, making travel challenging and jarring for commuters, especially motorists and bikers. Apart from craters and potholes, uneven road surfaces due to random patchwork done in the past has also added to the pain of bumpy rides for those behind the wheel on the Bypass.Craters are strewn over a 9-km EM Bypass stretch between Patuli and Science City but the “most challenging” is the 3.5km stretch between Ruby and Science City, where craters and potholes of various sizes not only pose hurdles to motorists and bikers but also may turn into accident traps for them at night or during rain.Daily users of the Bypass stretch said that the condition of the Bypass has gone for a toss in the wake of the rain with craters popping up on the stretches, that people find it difficult to manoeuvre them while driving vehicles or riding bikes. Traffic also slows down during peak hours because of the battered stretches.Raju Pandey, an app-cab operator said, “Deep craters are scattered in the middle of the Bypass stretch between Ruby crossing and Science City, and if I try to veer my car to left or right side during peak hours, it might lead to an accident. The battered Bypass is taking a toll on the suspension and bearing of my car. Besides, the average speed of vehicles has to be reduced owing to the bad condition of road.“On Wednesday, TOI drove through the bone-rattling Bypass course and spoke to its regular sufferers who hardly have an alternative to bypass the broken stretch to reach their workplaces in Salt Lake, New Town or heart of the city. The motorists and bikers said that the craters become invisible at night, especially when they get filled with water during rain.“It’s difficult to spot the potholes at night and now that it’s raining, these have become more dangerous. Heavy brain triggers waterlogging on the Bypass and the craters that go under water turn into traps. Two days back, I had a close shave as my bike fell in one such crater near Uttar Panchanagram,” said biker Sambhu Nath, a Topsia resident.Alongside craters, the uneven road surfaces due to patchwork has added even more to the travails of motorists on the Bypass. Rupayan Dutta, a resident of a high-rise near Hiland Park, rued, “Some craters are dangerous and throw driving out of gear. Simple patchwork will not solve the problem because craters are rearing their heads after a spell of heavy rain. The civic body needs to make long-term solutions like laying paver blocks on the road surface.”Some big craters were filled up with brick pieces that were found being washed away on the stretch between Tagore Park and Ruby. “It’s due to the spell of rain that the number of potholes is increasing on the Bypass. In some places, craters have developed on patched portions and this shows the quality of road repairing work done,” said motorist Arun Kumar who drives from Ajoy Nagar to his workplace at New Town. “
